


Closest Kept

by jonfuckingmoxley



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Wuko, questionable science, y'all this is just ridiculous happy fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-01-19
Packaged: 2018-05-14 23:06:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5762398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jonfuckingmoxley/pseuds/jonfuckingmoxley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuvira is defeated, the world is calm. Mako and Wu go to an Earth Kingdom celebration and then to a very special place.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Closest Kept

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this months ago and figured it would be good to have as my first ao3 post. little wuko fluff thing i wrote for a friend of mine.

“Mako, look at this!” Wu bent down to get a closer look at the necklace, bright green stones on a paler green thread. Mako sighed, moving to look over Wu’s shoulder at the piece of jewelry. He smiled, a little, watching the former prince “ooh” and “aah” over the necklace.

As Korra and Asami were on their vacation in the Spirit World, things were calm. No new catastrophes or evil-doers. No major conflicts between the nations. It was peaceful, and they all needed that (especially the two girls; they needed time together, and some emergency calling them away from each other was no good). Soon after they had left, and all of the celebrating for Varrick and Zhu Li’s wedding had finally ended (maybe a four-day party wasn’t the best idea, but it was memorable), everyone had essentially gone back to their normal lives.

Except for Mako and Wu. They hadn’t entirely known what to do. Mako could’ve always gone back to the police force, Lin told him he would always have a place there if he wanted it, but he felt like he needed something else. He also didn’t feel right leaving Wu. They had grown surprisingly (for Mako) close ever since they met, and even after the threat of Kuvira and her takeover ended, he felt the urge to protect Wu. Keep an eye on him; keep him from getting in (too much) trouble.

Mako had stubbornly ignored the voice in his head (that sounded unsettlingly similar to Bolin) that insisted he had feelings for the former prince. It wasn’t that the feelings on their own bothered him; it was that they were unrequited. Mako knew he shouldn’t bottle it up, and he knew he should confront them at one point.

That possibly-Bolin voice in his head was especially loud at times like this, looking at Wu while he was so enthused about something. The necklace was pretty, and well-crafted. Which wasn’t surprising, given where they were.

They had decided to go to Ba Sing Se to begin working with leaders in the Earth Kingdom, figuring out the representatives and the new system of government. But before that began, people all around the Earth Kingdom were holding carnivals and fairs in celebration of the new beginning. They were at the largest one, in Ba Sing Se, browsing through the different stalls with goods and games. Mako had won a stuffed badgermole and given it to Wu, who had surprised Mako by winning a guessing game and giving him the prize, a small pin made from silver and fiery orange stones.

He wasn’t paying much attention to what Wu was saying, staring at the younger man as he was, but that was okay because Wu had begun talking to a young girl who had been eyeing the necklace. He snapped out of it when he realized that Wu had actually bought the necklace for her, even helping her to clasp it behind her hair. He smiled as she hugged Wu tightly, thanking him repeatedly.

One of the many things he admired about Wu was his sociability. He loved the people of the Earth Kingdom. Really, he loved pretty much everyone, so long as they were a good person. Wu was utterly fantastic with people of all ages, and that was an asset in their work.

But in times like these, it warmed Mako’s heart to see someone who so willingly gave. Gave comfort, gave gifts, gave their time. It was also times like these that Mako realized how frustratingly much he loved this small, loud man. Wu watched as the girl ran back to her parents, and then turned to Mako.

“So, big guy, is there anything you want to do?”

Mako thought about it for a moment. He couldn’t think of anything, but then again, he hadn’t ever really been here. “No. We can keep doing things you want.”

Wu smiled, this little smaller smile he seemed to have reserved for use only around Mako. “Well, there is one more place I wanted to show you. It’s one of my very favorite places in Ba Sing Se. I think you’ll love it.” The former prince took Mako’s hand in his and turned to lead him through the crowd.

Mako was thankful Wu couldn’t see the blush that colored his face at the contact.

He had to wonder where he was being led. They were leaving the carnival, walking through the still-busy streets, people occasionally waving hello or in recognition of who they were. Well, probably more who Wu was. The carnival was held in the lower ring, and Mako felt reminded of his childhood walking through the dark streets.

He was brought out of his memory when Wu came to a stop. Now that he thought about it, Wu had seemed rather nervous on their walk, and had barely talked. Mako wondered why as he took in the new scenery.

There was a large, ornate fountain, surrounded by unlit streetlamps. It was lovely.

“Wow, Wu this place is-“ Mako stopped short when he saw the look of disappointment on Wu’s face. “What’s wrong?”

Wu turned to him (the frown just looked wrong on his face, Mako was so used to the bright smile), “It’s nothing, it’s just that I was expecting these to be lit. This is called Firelight Fountain. The lamps used to be fire, but they converted to electricity after the lights were destroyed during the riots after Zaheer-“ Wu paused to take a breath, “after he came to Ba Sing Se. The lanterns in the fountain are still fire, though. I really thought they’d be lit.”

Mako looked around at the lamps. He couldn’t see any immediate damage to them, or the lanterns in the water. It did seem odd to have them off, especially during a celebration like this.

He looked at Wu, who was looking down at the ground.

Mako got an idea.

He walked up to his friend, getting his attention. “Hey. Close your eyes.”

Wu looked at him with one eyebrow raised, but followed the order nonetheless. Once he was sure Wu was out of the way, Mako took a deep breath, and directed lightning into the wires connecting the lamps until they were fully lit. He then quickly shifted to letting out small, quick bursts of fire to the lanterns until each was lit. The lamps let out a dim yellow glow, the lanterns reflected in the water with soft shades of orange. It was beautiful.

“Okay. You can open your eyes.”

Wu opened his eyes to see soft light all around them, his jaw dropped. He turned to look at Mako, and the firebender felt his own mouth fall open a bit, seeing Wu breathless and in awe. They were standing close, and Mako could see the warm highlights in Wu’s hair, bits of orange reflected in his eyes. He could feel himself blushing. It might’ve been illegal to light the lamps, but it was worth it.

Wu cleared his throat and sat on the edge of the fountain. “Mako, I um..there’s another thing you should know about Firelight Fountain.”

Mako sat next to Wu, closer than he probably should have, but his head was light and his stomach was tight, feeling like something was going to happen, equal parts worry and anticipation. “Yeah? What is it?”

Wu looked up at him, a shy smile and a blush on his face. “This is actually kind of a…date spot. It’s known as like, ‘the’ romantic place in Ba Sing Se. That’s kind of why I brought you here.”

It took Mako a moment to get that information through his head. “This is…you. You actually. I. I..”

While he was stuttering his way through comprehension, Wu’s face dropped, worry taking over. He stood. “Oh no, I’ve got this all wrong, don’t I? I thought this might be a good place to tell you, because I thought, with the way you’ve been acting lately, and leaving Republic City to come here with me, and then you lit the lights here, I thought-I’m sorry, I misunderstood. I’m sorry, Mako, I’ll go, I don’t-“

Wu began to walk away, until full realization hit Mako, and he ran to the former prince. “No! No, Wu, that’s not it at all! You’re right, I do…you know. I like you. I have for a while, I just figured, you know, you didn’t feel the same, I mean I thought you were only interested in girls, and I didn’t think you’d want to be with me anyway, I am kind of an ass and I’m too serious, but I-“

“Wait, so you do like me? I wasn’t wrong?”

Mako had grabbed Wu’s shoulders, and his grip softened along with his expression. “Yeah. I do.”

Wu looked like he was about to cry, and he smiled, releasing a huge sigh of what Mako had to assume was relief. “Oh thank goodness, for a second there I thought you were going to hit me or leave me or something.”

“I’d never do that to you, okay? Never.”

They looked into each other’s eyes, Mako hoping Wu could see the honesty in his statement, and once again noting the way the lights warmed and softened his face. He could feel his own cheeks heating up, as he leaned in slightly.

Wu’s eyes went back and forth between Mako’s eyes and lips, and when Mako hesitated, Wu took the initiative, his hands going to the firebender’s hair and pulling him down to meet his kiss.

Mako’s eyes went wide for a second before they closed, arms going around the smaller man’s waist and bringing their bodies together.

Wu’s lips were soft, and the noise he made as Mako pulled them together was as well. Wu stopped gripping Mako’s hair and instead rested his arms around his neck, the kiss remaining soft and unhurried until they parted for air, their noses softly bumping.

They both smiled, soft breaths that came out as laughs as their foreheads rested against each other.

In the warm light of the fountain, they shared their first kiss, and they wondered about their future, and what other firsts they would have together.


End file.
